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A rough draft of the spiritual autobiography of Joseph B Wilson. The history that lead to Toteg Tribe.
Copyright 2003 by Joseph B Wilson
In mid 1968 I applied for retraining as a journalist and so put in my application and attached
copies of The Waxing Moon as proof of my writing ability and interest. My application was
approved and I was scheduled to attend an intensive 10-week course in Basic Military Journalism
at the Defense Information School, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana starting in
September of that year.
During this time I continued my correspondence with Susan Roberts. One of the questions she
asked was if we were going to have any more children. I told her that I didn't know but if we did it
would be a girl and we would name her Juanita Rose. I guess my confidence in that matter
impressed her.
I went to Fort Benjamin Harrison to begin classes in early September. During this time Susan had
a business trip to Indianapolis so we had a chance to meet and she spent a couple of days
interviewing me. Classes lasted 8 hours per day, five days a week for 10 weeks. I completed the
course, was graduated 10th in my class, and returned to Topeka in December.
By the first of January, 1969 I assumed my new duties as a newspaper reporter in the Information
Office. It didn't take long to discover that the journalistic ethics taught in school were not applied in
reality, a fact that disturbed me. I busied myself writing profiles of various people on base, ghost
wrote some of the Wing Commander's columns for the base paper, and became the Information
Officer for the local squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, where I did a poor job. I was given the
additional duty of wing historian -- a job I knew nothing about. I decided I wanted to go overseas
again where life might be a little more interesting.
I wanted to go to England where I had made contact with numerous people who claimed to have
knowledge of the Old Religion. Certain that I would get the assignment I volunteered for duty in that
country, then concentrated on learning the differences between the American and English
languages (about 900 words, 300 of them common, have different meanings in each language)
and learning to figure money in Pounds Shillings and Pence.
Daisy was pregnant again and gave birth to Juanita Rose on August 20th, 1969. At almost the
same time I got orders for a three year tour with the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Upper
Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. Although I could have turned down the assignment due to my wife's
having just given birth, I did not do so. I didn't think I would get such a choice assignment again.
This time Daisy and the children could join me overseas (at government expense!), although I had
to go there first and arrange for acceptable housing.
In early August I gave an interview to Gene Smith, a reporter for the Topeka daily newspaper. He
did a full-page photo feature on me that was published just before I left in September.
I sold my guns since if I took them with me to England they would have to be locked in an armory
for the duration of the tour. I didn't want to leave them with Daisy or my parents because I thought
my brother, who was a heroin addict, would get and use them in some criminal activity. In
September we moved my wife and children back to Michigan on a temporary basis, and I caught
my flight to England.
On the way I stopped in New York to visit Susan Roberts and look at the galley proofs of her book.
Also at that meeting was Ed Fitch, Ray Buckland, John Hanson, and Joe Luchak. We agreed that
her book was as accurate as possible, and knew that after publication it would generate a lot of
mail. Ed, John, and I agreed to remain in constant postal contact to coordinate the efforts of
dealing with the mail so it could all be answered. One of the things we discussed was the problem
of so many people wanting to become involved with the Old Religion, but there being so few
people who had any knowledge or lineage to refer them to.
Ed told me he had a partial solution. He had written two manuscripts that he gave me. He said he
gave them to selected people that he thought were worthy of getting more into the Craft. He told
me I could give them to people if I wanted. One was titled the "Outer Court Grimoir of Shadows",
and contained theory and exercises designed to develop psychic abilities. This was freely inspired
by Fraz Bardon's book, "Initiation into Hermetics." The other was titled the "Outer Court Book of
Shadows." This one was a series of formal rituals for each season of the year, the full moon,
marriage, initiation, and so forth. Although I was uncomfortable with his writing style in that
manuscript (I thought it was just too Pseudo Olde Englishe) I thought the general concept was
excellent and we made plans to expand the idea when Witches USA was released.
I arrived at RAF Upper Heyford on a Friday afternoon. I signed in, was assigned a bunk in a
barracks, and stored my luggage.
